V J

A feel good movie. Great to sit down with you better half and watch on a weekend. Made me chuckle, brought me tears. Not just Robert DiNiro and Anne, but many others in the film have shined.

I don't often leave reviews for films. I don't often watch films 3 times within a week of being released. I don't often see such realistic, social issue story portrayed so beautifully, with skill and finesse. Did you accidentally bump into this film on Google when you searched for something else, don't shy away. Go on, give this film a go. This narrates the near real state of some elections in some parts of India and how valuable a vote is when it comes to elections. But this film is not just about election and votes. it also portrays the life of Mandela, an otherwise nameless poor barber who fights for survival and almost begs for his daily bread. You will see how well Yogibabu has played this role, showing the extreme poverty, innocence, lack of knowledge, but with a kind heart - reminiscence of many thousands of people living in India. Almost every actor in the film has acted skilfully and naturally. My favourite character in the film is 'Esaki' a conman with his famous response 'Venaam' (No) which he says.... (no spoilers..). Music is so pleasing to the ears. Mandela Tribute tune and lyrics is still playing in my ears days after i saw this film for the first time. Watch it, Enjoy it.

If you are looking to watch a crime drama that keeps you on the edge of the seat, makes you feel concerned for the characters, doesn’t allow you to predict what will happen next - then look no further: Maanagaram has suspense, thrills, a tiny bit of fright, a lot of realist performance (Police in particular), natural human imperfections & mistakes, confusions, struggles of white collar citizen, wee bit of gundas raj (that any city has), a little bit of love and comedy. It also has **no songs** (thank god as songs would have been speed breakers) and **no names for lead characters** (interesting isn’t it). Director deserves a lot of credit for cleverly presenting this gripping cat and mouse game between the good and the bad where although you know that the good will suffer and have to fight to beat the evil, the visual of who is more evil changes handsomely through out the movie. Actors Sundepe Kishan, Sri, Munreshkanth,Charlie bring life into the characters and you will be able to relate them to the day today us very well. I’d highly recommend this movie if you haven’t seen already.